New Zealand’s Ambassador to South Korea, Philip Turner, is leading the way on LGBTQ rights in the country. He is the first diplomat with an officially recognised same-sex spouse in Korea, the first diplomat to meet the President with a partner of the same sex, and probably the only diplomat ever to appear in a […]

Grahame Norton, a former High Commissioner to India, has been named as New Zealand’s next ambassador to China. He will begin in the role in December. In a statement announcing the appointment, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said China, New Zealand’s top trading partner, shared a long and important relationship with New Zealand. After 50 years […]

Two Korean-New Zealanders have produced a documentary on North Korea to highlight the “human side” of the country. Sarah Lee and Inah Kim decided to produce the documentary after travelling twice to North Korea before the Covid-19 pandemic and discovering that life there was different from how they expected it to be. “When we think […]

Fijian-Indians living in New Zealand are missing out on support services in areas including health and education because they are being classified as Asians and not Pacific Islanders, a community leader has said. President of the Fiji Girmit Foundation of New Zealand Krish Naidu (pictured) said that by not recognising Fijian-Indians as a Pacific community, […]

New Zealand will sign a “strategic partnership” agreement with Malaysia, promising greater co-operation on counter-terrorism and indigenous collaboration. The decision to sign the partnership document was made at a meeting between New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and her Malaysian counterpart Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur last week. “We’ve had a long-standing partnership with […]

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, together with the Joy Wing Mau Fruit Technology Group and eight New Zealand fruit exporters, have launched a “Taste New Zealand” fruit gift box that is customised for the Chinese market. The gift box contains over ten types of premium fruit, most of them varieties that have been developed in […]

Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong called for the further deepening of the friendship between China and New Zealand at the annual conference of the New Zealand China Friendship Society (NZCFS) last month. He said that developing a strong relationship between the two countries is a long-term strategic decision. Both China and New Zealand […]

Close to 400 students from New Zealand will soon be joining study programs across Asia and Latin America with the award of Prime Minister’s scholarships. Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced the awards earlier this week, saying that the goal of the program was to seek to rebuild global ties after several years of closed borders […]

Manawatu students were able to experience Japanese life at a cultural festival last week. The Bunkasai festival, hosted by tertiary institution IPU New Zealand, saw attendance from 100 high school students. Bunkasai are common cultural festivals in Japan that allow students to showcase their artistic achievements. It is the first time IPU New Zealand has […]

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed condolences following the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last week. “New Zealand sends our condolences to Japan at this time of profound grief and deep shock,” Jacinda Ardern said on Saturday. “This act of violence against Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister is unfathomable, and we stand with […]